Monitor: Airstrikes kill 23

By Weedah Hamzah dpa

Sunday

Jan 20, 2019 at 12:01 AM

BEIRUT (TNS) — At least 23 people, including civilians, were killed on Friday when a U.S.-led air alliance fighting Islamic State in Syria carried out airstrikes on the last pockets occupied by the militant group in the eastern part of the country, a war monitor reported.

Six civilians were among the fatalities, while the rest were militant fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

So far, there has been no comment from the alliance.

At least 1,139 Islamic State fighters have been killed in eastern Syria since the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led rebel group, started a large offensive in the region in September to expel the radical group from the area, according to the Britain-based watchdog.

Syria’s Kurds have played a major role in fighting Islamic State in war-torn Syria, gaining much of the territory once held by Islamic State in energy-rich eastern Syria.

The SDF has warned that a decision announced last month by President Donald Trump to withdraw troops from Syria would lead to Islamic State’s resurgence.

While Islamic State has suffered territorial losses in eastern Syria, an al-Qaida affiliate known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has recently extended its control in the north-western province of Idlib, the last key opposition stronghold in the country.

A huge blast targeting al-Qaida fighters on Friday rocked the city of Idlib, the capital of the province, killing at least 11 people, the observatory reported.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear, it said.

Locals in Idlib said the blast had hit the headquarters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

One source, who requested anonymity citing security concerns, said the blast was caused by a car bombing that targeted the HTS headquarters in the city.

Seven of the 11 fatalities were fighters, observatory head Rami Abdel-Rahman said.

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